'GORHAM, Maine  --  Junior Marc Cahill (Lynn, Mass.) and sophomore Tip Fairchild (Monmouth, Maine) each tossed a three-hit shutout as the University of Southern Maine Huskies swept the Keene State College Owls, 17-0 and 5-0, in a Little East Conference

doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

The sweep gives the Huskies a three-game winning streak heading into Sunday's (April 18) conference make-up game at UMass-Boston.  The game will be played at Tufts University starting at 2:00

p.m.  Southern Maine is 13-8-1 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

Keene State dropped to 10-11 overall and 3-4 in the

conference.  The Owls will play a single game Sunday at St. Joseph's College.

 In the opener, Cahill allowed only three singles and two walks while striking out a career-high 13 batters to collect his second win, and shutout, of the season against three losses.

The Huskies gave Cahill all the support he would need in the first two innings, building a 5-0 lead.  Senior Adam Lemieux (Cumberland, Maine) had a two-run double in the first inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Greg Stacy (Denmark, Maine).  In the second, senior Brian Marshall (Danvers, Mass.)

stroked a two-run single. USM pounded out 18 hits against four Keene State hurlers. Marshall, senior Brandon Brewer (Cumberland, Maine) and freshman Ryan Bourque (Sanford, Maine) led the assault with three hits each.  The Huskies scored at least one run in seven of their eight times at bat.

Keene State starting pitcher Rick Stromgren (Keene, N.H.) took the loss to fall to 2-1 on the season.

In the nightcap, Fairchild did not allow a hit until the

fifth inning, setting down the first 14 hitters he faced.  Freshman Matt Beam (Alstead, N.H.) finally reached Fairchild for a clean single to center.  Fairchild also allowed singles in the sixth and ninth innings.  He finished the game without walking a batter,

although he hit two batters, and struck out 11.  Marshall scored the first USM run in the first inning on a

wild pitch, and Lemieux came home later in the inning on an RBI double by Bourque.  The Huskies added a single run in the second on an RBI single by freshman Peter St. Onge (Biddeford, Maine), and another in the

third on an RBI single by Brewer.  Freshman Nick Vardaro (Norwood, Mass.) scored the final run in the fourth inning on a wild pitch.

Lemieux and Brewer each had three hits to pace the Huskies' 13-hit attack.  Marshall and freshman Joe Ganley (Keene, N.H.) each had a pair of hits.

Keene State starter Jim Slack (Manchester, N.H.), who left the game in the fourth inning, took the loss.

(Courtesy of USM Sports Information)